Rameshwar Broota

Reputed Indian contemporary artist, Rameshwar Broota uses art as a medium to reflect on the social realities of his time. He was born in Delhi in 1941. He completed his art training at the Delhi College of Art, where he later worked as a lecturer.  A unique technique that he is known for: he first applies various layers of colours and then begins scraping in order to derive a mottled texture and images underneath. 

His works can be divided into phases wherein his earliest works depicted hauntingly evocative images of the emaciated and despondent labourers in routine. The next phase was in the 1970s when his satirical works represented overfed gorillas that symbolized politicians and the well-to-do elite satiating their greed and voracious appetite, verging on obscenity. And then came the 1980’s. By this time, Broota’s work preoccupied itself with the male body. The naked and stark portrayals of the male body denoted the opposing forces of matter and spirit.

His works are dominated by greys, blues, browns, whites, and metallic tones of gold, silver, and copper. Broota has also experimented with cinematographic language to experiment in video art. Clicking earthly photos, Brootas’a pictures have a stark quality of reality and sustenance.

Broota’s artworks have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the world. The artist has been felicitated with numerous awards and accolades including the National Award by the Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lalit Arpan Festival, Delhi and the Kala Vibhushan by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, Delhi. He is the Head of Department at the prestigious Triveni Kala Sangam of Delhi, a position that he has held since 1967.

Rameshwar Broota currently lives and works in Delhi.